The middleweight division is absolutely stacked with talent right now, featuring exciting fighters such as Dricus Du Plessis, Sean Strickland, and Israel Adesanya. Recently, Dricus Du Plessis claimed the middleweight title in a thrilling showdown against Sean Strickland at UFC 297.
The South African fighter opened up about his frustration in the fight against Sean Strickland. In a recent interview with Hello Sport, Du Plessis shared some insights on his upcoming fight against Adesanya. In doing so, he revealed some pointers about his fight with Strickland.
It was frustrating because he just walked backwards the whole time. But he did catch me with those jabs in the first two rounds. I felt the jabs and I thought I’ll just go through them. And all of a sudden I couldn’t see from my eyes. And then I realized I have to start blocking these.
Dricus Du Plessis via Hello Sport
Sean Strickland caused a major upset when he defeated Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. This victory shocked the MMA world and propelled him to new heights. However, his reign as the 185 lbs king was cut short when Du Plessis emerged as a tough contender for the title. Granted, it was a close fight, and the scorecard read a split decision.
Despite Strickland’s best efforts, he couldn’t hold on to the belt. Du Plessis clinched the victory, making history as the first South African UFC world champion. The stage is set for an epic showdown as former middleweight champ Israel Adesanya seeks to reclaim his title from fellow African fighter at UFC 305. Meanwhile, Strickland openly disagrees with the UFC’s decision to make this fight happen.
Sean Strickland wants a rematch with Dricus Du Plessis
In his first title defense, Sean Strickland lost his middleweight title to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297. The fight lasted five intense rounds. At the end of the match, it was not easy to pick out a clear winner. Some, like Dana White, felt Strickland had won it, whereas others, like Chael Sonnen, felt DDP deserved the win.
Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis (via X)Strickland is hungry for a rematch to reclaim the middleweight belt. In a recent interview with Helen Yee, Strickland didn’t hold back and stated that he was confident he won the fight at UFC 297 and that everyone who watched agreed with him.
I won that fight. Dana and Rogan said I won that fight. Izzy got knocked the f*** out by Alex, and they give him a rematch. Now, give me that rematch.
Sean Strickland via Helen Yee YT Channel
There’s a lot of buzz around Strickland possibly getting his title fight soon, but all eyes are on the upcoming middleweight showdown between Du Plessis and Adesanya. The winner of that battle could find themselves up against Strickland, who’s definitely in the mix as one of the top contenders in the 185 lbs division.
